Bowmans Out Of The U.S. Market

Published: Wednesday, November 29, 2006 Online-Casinos.com

BOWING OUT OF THE U.S. MARKET

But Bodog will benefit

British group Bowmans International's online gambling operations in the United States have been halted, with all US players transferred to the fast growing Bodog betting group which operates from Costa Rica.

Although Bowman's is British-owned it is operated from the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. No details are available on the reasons for the US withdrawal, but strong speculation is that it is a consequence of the UIGEA legislation recently passed in America which seeks to disrupt the financial transactions by American players with offshore Internet casinos, poker rooms and sportsbooks.

In a message to players, Bowmans said that effective November 28th, 2006, all Bowmans.com players registered in the USA will receive their online gaming and telephone betting service from Bodog.com.

Describing Bodog as "An established player in the e-gaming industry, Antigua-based Bodog is one of the world's fastest growing media and digital entertainment companies. As a new Bodog customer, you will have full access to their comprehensive suite of online gaming and betting services," the announcement did not reveal details of any commercial deal with the Costa Rican company.

All player account details are being migrated to Bodog.com, and all bets and deposits will be honoured. Players can find details about their Bodog account number and password in an email that every registered Bowmans player has been sent, which also includes a special "thank you" offer.

Both Bowmans and Bodog have signed confidentiality agreements to assure that all customer data will be kept confidential between the two companies.